Pope, Orthodox Leader Blame 'Moral Decay' for Ecology Crisis

Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I called for urgent action to "heal our wounded creation"

In this May 25, 2014 filer, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, stand before the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians are urging political leaders to "support the consensus of the world" that climate change and other environmental ills have created an ecological crisis that is harming the world's poorest the most. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File), photo: AP/Sebastian Scheiner, File

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians issued a joint appeal Friday for political leaders to "support the consensus of the world" that climate change and other environmental ills have created an ecological crisis that is harming the world's poorest the most.Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I called for urgent action to "heal our wounded creation," warning that generations to come will suffer unless concrete and collective action is taken.They blamed the current state of degradation on "moral decay" and "our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet's limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets."

Lord, teach us to contemplate you in the beauty of creation and reawaken our gratitude and sense of responsibility.

Christianity's top spiritual leaders issued the appeal Friday, which both Catholic and Orthodox churches mark as a day of prayer for God's creation.Their message didn't single out individual countries, but administration of President Donald Trump has announced it is withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord, which seeks to curb emissions of heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere.Trump has described man-made global warming as a hoax, and he has moved to delay or roll back federal regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions, arguing they made U.S. industries uncompetitive.Russia, the world's biggest crude oil producer and its fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, signed the Paris agreement but has delayed formally ratifying it. Its voluntary goals are among the weakest submitted by any country, allowing the overwhelmingly Orthodox nation to spew more planet-warming emissions in future years, not less.In their message, Francis and the Orthodox leader blasted the "alternative worldview" that considers nature as a private possession to be exploited, regardless of the cost."We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the Earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation," they wrote."We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service."

The message echoed that of Francis' landmark 2015 encyclical "Laudato Sii" (Praise Be), where Latin America's first pope called for a cultural revolution to correct a "structurally perverse" economic system in which the rich exploit the poor, turning Earth into an "immense pile of filth."In that document, Francis cited writings by Bartholomew, who championed the environmental cause long before Francis became pope.Both leaders frame climate change as an urgent moral issue to address, saying humans have a moral obligation to protect God's creation.Francis gave a copy of the encyclical to Trump when they met earlier this year.